Low energy is a new one!

2 weeks and counting....

So as you know my diet has changed this week; its the last 2 weeks before Musclemania Britain and it's about shredding shredding shredding. Emma has taken my carbs down in my diet and the energy levels have felt if!! Oh boy have they felt it.. I think moody and irritable come to mind - not to mention ridiculously tired. Mum has given me so many cuddles and pep talks that I've lost count. My boyfriend and the girls at work must think im on permanent PMS! Oh the joys of being a woman and hormonal....

The change in diet has made it difficult to push hard on training this week, not going to lie. But I did hit a PB on Thursday night in the gym - when I managed to get a couple of reps on bench press at 40kg! This was good - I felt progress being made. It's amazing what the body will do..however I did feel absolutely shattered walking to the station and at home. It's getting an effort to even walk around the office!! The next 2 weeks are going to be all about mental strength and attitude. Ive realised i need to stop worrying about how many times I workout in the week - just as long as each session i push hard and work my body.

This was my nemesis on Thursday night..

So in store for me today was a gruelling ELB session with Em, followed by walking and posing practise. Stupidly I was awake at 7am this morning with my head buzzing of all the jobs i needed to do today and over the weekend. I still have to buy my fake tan, my bikini bite (aka: hairspray for my bikini bottoms), bling up my bikini, buy fake eyelashes and most importantly sort out a playlist for competition day to get my psyched up! The list goes and my hands are furiously trying to type this out; i even think theres steam starting to appear....

Friday's lunch...Salmon is quickly becoming my favourite fish of all time

Emma's session with me today was really good; I loaded up with porridge for breakfast as i had a sneaky suspicion that I would either be doing a lot of conditioning work or running. However she didn't do the usual run through of fitness tests with me - we did circuits of multiple exercises, which definitely worked on my glutes, legs and shoulders. Oh and not to forget the Tabata session right at the end... thanks Em!!

I think i spent most of the session today low to the ground today, crawling like a crab in one exercise in order to open up my hip flexers but then Em got me jogging outside with 2 x 8kg kettle-bells and trying to catch me. This is all good prep for the hockey season as well Musclemania. I have my hockey trials coming up next weekend (6th Sept) so hopefully I wont feel too low on energy to smash it and get into the team for this year.

T-minus days till the big showdown!! Wohoo

Till next time - "Theres no change without pain!!"

Little Miss Fitness
Xx

Turn your weaknesses into strengths

Things to work on:

Following on from my fitness test run through on Saturday, this weeks motivation and discipline is to work on my weaknesses. It's not something that we are adverse to as humans, admitting we have weaknesses; but once you do accept it - it can open your eyes. You'll soon surprise yourself what you can do once you learn and work on your weaknesses. I know I've surprised myself over the last 2 months. Wow has it really been 2 months? Time is flying...

I know my weaknesses that I need to work on are; Sit-ups, Triceps, Pull-ups and Bench press. So let's get cracking and push hard at every gym session. 

Starting with sit-ups last night. Not going to lie I pushed my abs to the limits. The grunting and gritting of teeth were out again. But I seemed to find something deep down to push through and really go for it. Don't know if it's coz I know we only have 17 days left but I had determination on my face and in my body.

First exercise was starting with lowering my legs on a bench - working on lowering my legs slowly; it'scalled  working on the negative. The burning sensation is a good thing it means it's working!lol Then after this was a mixture of more lower abs; scissor kicks, crunches with a sandbag..the list could go on so I won't bore you!

Tonight? I have triceps a go... I must have been slightly deluded before starting training, because as time has gone on, I've noticed that my triceps weren't strong at all. They are a difficult part to train but the exercises that Emma has given me are helping grow and strengthen mine. 

I started with overhead triceps - working with a 6kg dumbbell then moving up to 8kg. Working with a heavier weight should help develop the muscle. In between sets I jumped on a box step and did tricep dips to fatigue. I need to work on endurance as well as strength so the dips, with legs out straight helps with my endurance during the fitness tests.

Ready, steady, cook!! Chicken stir fry..mmmm

So far so good this week - but I've still got a way to go. Things are going to get tough in the next week or 2 as its crunch time in shredding and prepping for Musclemania Britain on Saturday 13th September. Not much time to go and still a fair few bits to do.

Motto to ponder for this week - make your strengths stronger and your weaknesses even stronger! That way you know you can tackle anything life throws at you.

Till next time;

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

Success at last!!

Hallelujah.. I managed to find a red bikini!! 

What a successful weekend. The aim was to find a bikini and after traipsing round Brent cross for a good couple of hours on Saturday afternoon (with screaming children everywhere) - I stumbled upon Calzedonia the swimwear and lingerie shop. 

Oh my the choices were endless. They had so many different colours and styles, it was like a gift from heaven. I hadn't been able to find anything like this on the internet. The lovely shop assistant probably saw my excitement as she pretty much pounced on me whilst I was looking. Anyway I told her what I was looking for; the emphasis being on that the bikini bottom couldn't be a full brief-it had to be half (like a Brazilian cut). She got it straight away and started pulling out all manner of colours (blue,green, red and a pastel blue). With my arms full of bikinis, I went to try them on...I could see this taking a while. The pastel blue did not suit me so this went straight into the no bin. 

The only thing I found slightly perplexing whilst trying the bikinis on was that the shop assistants continually asked me how everything was going - I hadn't even got the first bikini off (give me chance)! Trying bikinis on is not new feat for many women but it's bloody fiddly in a small changing room when you have to do the straps up to the right tightness.

Sorry I digress - after trying all the bikinis I went for the red. I thought it suits me And could stand out on stage. So I left the shop a very happy customer; with a red bikini in toe and a new found determination to jazz/ bling it up 'Amy style' for Musclemania. Just to let you know we only have 19 days people till ill be up on stage! Thats 19 days till I'll be sticking Bikini bite (similar to tit tape) and spraying fake tan all over my body for the stage!! Nerves are kicking in now.

Musclemania poster!

The rest of the weekend was quite chilled. I spent some quality time with my boyfriend, most of it looking at the food I couldn't eat in the supermarket! Lol I have to admit (and might be a bit mushy) but he has been amazing whilst I've been training. It's not easy continually saying "no I can't eat that" and for someone to not roll their eyes or tempt you. I did have a little blip yesterday and yes the waterworks came...staying mentally strong all the time is really hard but after having a little cry I felt fine. So moral - crying is a way to release pent up emotions! 

And as its raining today - I'm going to do a bit of internet hunting to find some jewels/rhinestones to stick onto my bikini. The more bling I can put on it the better. I think a bit of fashion DIY is coming... Anyone got any top tips on what to do or not to do when blinging up a bikini?? 

Diamonds are a girls best friend...

This could go horribly wrong or surprisingly well, stay tuned for the after picture...

My monday thought - "Keep shining from the inside and people will see you sparkle on the outside"

Little Miss Fitness
Xx

Overcoming Nerves to Smash it!

Mental Strength is a powerful thing! 

I have to start off and apologise for the lack of articles this week; its been rather hectic in the office, at home and if i'm completely honest i've started to get really nervous about the competitions. Musclemania is only 3 weeks away and I don't feel prepared in terms of costume or grooming (aka; tanning!)

This week has been a low week - Ive had doubts about whether i'm going to look good on stage. So yes, as silly as it sounds, i've had to give myself another good talking to! I don't know whether its appropriate to admit this within a blog, as you never know who could be reading it, but i have missed my mum over the last 2 weeks - whilst she's been jet setting in Canada. She is my rock and the voice in my head telling me to push and gives me that boost of confidence when i need it the most. She's flying home next week so I cant wait to see her - unfortunately she wont be here to see me compete in Musclemania. Although I do seem to have a small gathering of people who want to come and support me; my boyfriend, friends from back home and people from the gym. I think i'm more nervous about walking on stage in front of them than I am the judges!

Me and My Mummy at Royal Ascot last year

Training was tough this week. Emma set me some targets last Saturday and me, being me wanted to smash them. I don't know whether its the sheer stubbornness in me not wanting to fail, as to why I push myself as hard as I do.

On Tuesday night, I am afraid to admit I nearly reached tipping point... that is i mean, I nearly cried in the gym. Shocked, some of you might be but don't worry i didn't burst into tears! I was doing squat thrusts to fatigue and after finishing 3 sets I was gasping on the gym floor. It was at this moment, my mental strength dipped and I came close to crying. Its not easy pushing your body to the extreme and dieting - but i have come so far! So I got up and moved onto the next exercise.....

Bootcamp time! "Strike a pose"

Musclemania Britain - here I come!

So today is the day I get a taster of my first ever competition bootcamp - and I cant tell you how excited I am! Im slightly nervous as well to be meeting some of the other competitors as i don't know how I will look in comparison. I guess i have to wait and find out...

Anyway, i haven't got time to think about that - Ive packed my bag with my heels, some leggings and a crop top ready for walking in. I've got the tunes pumping in my car on the way to Studio ELB to get myself in the mood to strut my stuff! Im sure I'm going to be inundated with information after today and I bet theres still lots of stuff I need to do..

Lets get ready to pose!

Fitness Tests - Part Deux!

Where to begin!

Oh my goodness so much has happened this week that i've had to split this blog into 2 - 1 for the madness of the later part of the week and Saturdays training and then 1 just on the Musclemania bootcamp i took part in!

But where did we leave off? Ah yes i had just bought that gorgeous tasting protein powder (i know you must be sick of hearing about it by now - but its just so good!) and id bought my comp shoes; which after breaking them in, are extremely comfortable!

So the later part of the week and before you guys ask, no I haven't managed to find a bikini yet. In fairness i haven't had much time to look - it was going to be my job this weekend, however i don't know how much time i will get to do it. And the comps are looming so i know i need to get my butt (pardon the pun) into gear. I do have to admit something to you all before we go on, which some of you may just roll your eyes at - I've felt guilty this week as i've had 2 rest days from the gym (wednesday & thursday). I have felt really tired the last few days and i'm not 100% sure why? I know it sounds silly but i am the type of person that if i set myself a goal i will want to achieve it with 150% effort in and having 1 rest day in the week seemed fair, but not 2. Call me crazy if you want...

Anyway, on a side note (not gym or competition related) the girls and guys at work managed to finishing packing up the office yesterday ready for the movers to come and take it to the new offices down the road. We even had time for a lunch break - however mine was spot the odd one out. The girls (rightly deserved) went and got pizza or fish & chips for their lunch, whilst i ate a chicken salad! Everyone worked so hard packing stuff up for the move, and it was friday after all.

My lunch, whilst everyone else ate chips/ pizza!

The quest begins...

What's a girl to do?

So the quest has begun for searching and buying my bikini for the competitions! Now this isn't going to be a normal bikini that you wear on a beach holiday. Oh no there are supposedly lots to consider when looking for the perfect bikini for stage competitions? And me I have no idea where to start....

So I thought I would start at the basics with my trusted friend google..I thought this might be my best bet (seeing as I spend most of my working day with it!!)  ;-) and it brought back interesting results. See I'm looking for a red bikini and even though there may be hundreds of these, there doesn't seem to be many that are just plain. And to top it off I am going to have to find a bikini that has a padded top...I'm sure you can guess why. I'm going up against girls on stage that have had surgery in that department (wink wink) so I need my molehills to make some form of impact!!

I've also been considering what other ideas I could do for the miss galaxy theme. The theme for bikini is oriental, so I'm thinking a little on the Chinese side...if anyone has any genius ideas for this theme though, please can I steal them for the 1st November?? I can promise that I'll give them back, they may just not original!!

There is one thing I have learnt so far when looking for competition bikini's: is that the bottoms in particular - they have to be small enough to show off more of my glutes (aka: bum)... Emma kindly informed me of this the other day! But don't panic I'm not going as drastic as a thong on stage...There's no sisqo repertoire following me onto the stage..

Highlight of the week so far? I have finally bought my shoes, which I'm stupidly excited about getting. I have always been a shoe girl! Trying shoes on in Camden was fun on Saturday - my friend Emma Miles, who came with me was charismatic as ever about what I looked like!haha Good job I didn't fall over infront her!! Anyway I digress- I got my shoes from Banana Shoes; a great little online boutique that sell the perfect pair for competitors like myself! I decided to go with a 5inch high clear shoe with a smaller platform...I'm going to wobbling on stage from nerves anyway so high platforms will just heighten that!

A girl can never have enough shoes....

If you don't set goals, you can't ever challenge yourself!

My 2 week challenge:

So it's Saturday and yep it's time to meet my hard-task master; miss elb! During the week she told me to bring my fitness scores as we would be focusing on my strengths and weaknesses for the next couple of weekends. I will admit I was a little curious as to what she had installed for me!! So after faffing around this morning with my car (dont ask, you dont want to know) I got to studio elb and we got cracking - there's no time wasting with Emma which I love.

My new motto!! Dream..Believe..Achieve

New diet/ new outlook!

What happens next?

This week has started off quite calm in comparison to others. I think I'm starting to adjust to the dieting and exercise (although both still remain ridiculously tough). Although I'm getting used to knowing when I'm actually hungry as to when I think I'm hungry. I've shocked myself at how bad I was before starting this diet. Before if my tummy so much as started to rumble I would eat. Now most of you may scream "but that's because your hungry-you should eat something"! Well try this, have a tea or coffee of even drink half a glass of water and believe me you'll know soon after if you are truly hungry or just finding an excuse. 

Its been about 4/5 weeks now of Emma's first diet phase (yep really...time flies!) so it's time to move onto phase 2! This mix up of diet is amazing-I can finally use my blender to make a smoothie for breakfast! I could have kissed Emma when I saw this on her email...and I get poached eggs on toast-things are looking up! It's salmon and roasted vegetables for lunch today, that should make me work harder in the gym!

Best post-workout lunch! Salmon and roasted veggie's

Dont let the small things get you down!

It's all mental:

So I haven't written on here for a whole week, whether you guys are missing me i don't know - its been such a long time! So here's a little update on what I've been up to this week.

Monday and Tuesday were tough; the diet was beating me mentally. I was trying to find anything that I could eat and stuff into my face to feel full. Its been tough and Im not proud to say it, but i know i've got to stick to my diet and I did! Emma must have thought 'oh god what is this girl doing' but she has been amazing and told me that's it's natural to feel like this. One of the great things with training is that I have Emma's best friend, Christine working in the office - so she watches my every move! She's been a great support; asking me how I'm getting on and helping me to push throught it.

Tuesday was D-day and I had my first killer session with Emma at her studio. I was buzzing and really looking forward to it - oh dear, little did I know how tough it would be! I was certainly put through my paces.

So to start with Emma got me to warm up on the rower - not for long just a couple of minutes. Then the real test began. She got me to do sprints up a hill, pick up 2 6kg weights and jog back down the hill, then power walk back up to meet her. My only recovery was slowly jogging back down to start all of it again! Emma got me to do this 6 times!! 

The best thing (if there is such a thing with this exercise) was that Emma was timing me. Who knew I could sprint 100m in 16.3 seconds! Get in - that definitely gave me a lift for the rest of the session.

Then it was onto more conditioning work; Emma got me to do burpee press-ups, immediately followed by 20 box jumps! I hate to admit it but I was afraid id make a mess on Emma's new floor! My tuna salad and wholemeal bread for dinner never looked so good! It was thoroughly enjoyed on the train home.

God this never looked so good! Get in my belly...

Wednesday I went to the gym (how i managed it god only knows!) and did the monkey bars again. This time I managed to get to the end and then turn around - result! It's amazing what your body can remember to do and then push that little bit further. It's all mental - nothing is impossible!

Thursday was tough; my body was still feeling the affects of my killer session with Emma on Tuesday. My body felt like lead...it was almost like having an outer body experience! It didn't feel great to be honest and even water and copious amounts of coffee couldn't help. It certainly tested my mental strength to the extreme. 

Friday was an amazing day; I was at my cousins wedding in Chester at Peckforton castle. The bride looked stunning in a gorgeous fitted dress with feathers on the bustier. The whole day was breath-taking and it was lovely to share such a wonderful occasion with my family.

Thought i'd died and gone to heaven!

So there was no training for me, but I was back on it this weekend. There are only 6 weeks to go until Musclemania and exactly 90 days to go until miss galaxy - yikes! Tomorrow the guys at studio elb are starting the first workshop for Musclemania so good luck guys I will see you all on 17th August - I cant wait!

Ty-OG and Emma looking good!

In all a tough week, but with plenty of rest, I'll be pumped for another hardcore week. It's going to need determination, focus and pure grit! It's not easy but if you want to change yourself and challenge yourself in life then you'll find it somewhere deep inside and push through.

Till next time- stay fit!

Little miss fitness
xx